Shadowborn - Captivity Part 19

"How long is it going to take you two to understand that the days of your being served are over?" he demanded, looking back and forth between them. "No one cares whether or not you feel insulted, and no one is going to fetch and carry for you. This food is meant for everyone, but we'll all be helping ourselves. If you feel it's beneath you to do the same you can go hungry."

They stared at Fearin with identical pouts and expressions of hatred, then tossed their heads and turned back to the coach. They seemed to have decided to punish us by starving themselves, which wasn't exactly a crus.h.i.+ng surprise.

"I don't believe that," Ijarin muttered as I took a plate and began to fill it, showing that not everyone was unsurprised. "They didn't even ask why things were supposed to be different now, they simply rejected the entire concept. That isn't a normal reaction no matter how you look at it."

"In their frame of reference it's perfectly normal," I reminded him, uninterested in going into details again. "Keep demanding and you'll get what you want, just the way you always have."

Ijarin made no answer to that, which let me appreciate the peace and quiet - for all of another handful of ticks.

"... miserable spoiled brats," Fearin muttered angrily as he came up behind us, and then his voice suddenly strengthened. "And as for you, I refuse to take any more of your nonsense. As soon as the army is out of the Valley of Twilight you and I are going to have that talk. If you don't like the idea, too bad."

And then he stomped away, probably to find some poisonous reptile to bite the head from.

Personally I just kept filling my plate, wondering how he had the nerve to call someone else a brat.

"You still refuse to hear him," Ijarin noted after a moment, a sigh behind the words. "Are you really going to force him to hurt you before you'll listen?"

The question wasn't one that deserved an answer, so I didn't bother supplying one. My plate was already as full as I wanted it to be, which meant I was able to turn away and go looking for a private place to eat. I found one not far away and folded to the ground, then applied myself to the meal. Fearin wasn't a topic I meant to discuss until I figured out why Diin-tha apparently wanted me to hate him even more than I did. After what the G.o.d had already done to me I felt nothing of an urge to cooperate with his desires.

For once Ijarin seemed to understand that I wanted no one's company, so I finished my meal without being bothered. The others sat with Fearin as the man of Power spoke to them, probably about last minute instructions. When I was through eating I carried my almost-empty plate back to the table, then poured myself a cup of water. By the time I drained the cup we were ready to get moving again.

Talasin and Lokkel joined the closest guardsmen in watching us ride off, Talasin looking calm, Lokkel looking relieved. A clamor had started inside the coach as soon as it began to move, but no one paid any attention. The girls were undoubtedly outraged that no one seemed to be suffering because the two had refused to eat, and that made me curious. They weren't being taken with us for no reason, so why hadn't Fearin made them eat? Especially after what he'd said to the rest of us...

That was another question I couldn't answer, but in just a little while I found myself distracted from the annoyance of mysteries by the handful. The road we followed suddenly began to angle downward, and as soon as my mount crested the drop and began to move downward as well everything ... changed. The mid-afternoon light immediately dimmed to the point you find justbefore night settles in, but nothing around us could have accounted for the change. The trees weren't high or thick enough, and neither was the now-rising landscape. We should have had bright sunlight - but we didn't.

"So this is why they call it the Valley of Twilight," Ijarin remarked from where he rode beside me again. "I wonder if it stays like this even in the dark of night. It's the worst possible light to see things clearly in."

"Worst possible for us, not for the ones who live here," I pointed out. "And they're already watching us. Can you tell?"

His head came up and he began to look around, but his senses weren't quite keen enough. He clearly couldn't detect the odd scent I'd picked up as soon as my horse had carried me into the twilight, which meant he couldn't use the scent to lead his gaze to the slim, flitting shadows moving almost silently to both sides of us. It looked like our arrival wasn't in the least unexpected, and a welcoming committee - of sorts - had been provided.

"I'm sure Fearin already knows, but I'll pa.s.s the word up to him anyway," Ijarin said, finally giving up on trying to see what I had. "Stay here and I'll be right back."

He urged his horse a short distance ahead, to the place where one of Garam's special squad rode behind the coach, and then he spoke briefly to the man. His words were received with a curt nod, which meant Ijarin could slow his horse until I reached his position. The guardsman had moved to another of the squad in front of the coach, pa.s.sed on the message, and then waited to resume his position. The guardsman up front caught up with Garam, and Garam in turn spoke to Fearin.

"The High Master doesn't look particularly upset, so he must have known after all," Ijarin remarked, then he turned his head toward me. "And I really need to ask if you're feeling all right. You haven't insulted me since yesterday."

"You make it too easy for it to be fun for very long," I remarked back, keeping most of my attention on the beings hidden in the shadows all around us. "Besides, this isn't the time for distractions of any kind, not even the verbal sort."

"I appreciate the way you eased my worry so quickly, but you're right," he said, the words very dry. "We do need to be alert right now, so conversation can wait. But not forever. We have one war waiting for us on the other side of this valley. We really don't need two."

He lapsed into silence after that, but there was no reason he shouldn't have. He'd already said a good part of what he'd wanted to, and now could wait until lecturing didn't put our safety at risk. Vast annoyance flashed through me, bringing me the urge to tell him again to mind his own business, but I swallowed the urge and let it slide away. Once we were out of this valley I'd find a way to rid myself of Ijarin and Fearin both, flamed if I wouldn't...

We rode on for a while with absolutely nothing happening, and I couldn't help but notice that our pace was more leisurely than hurried. Fearin seemed to be announcing that we had nothing to worry about, but I wasn't quite as certain. That odor I'd noticed at once had been slowly growing stronger, until now the air seemed drenched with it. The not-quite-dark but shadowy air was unconcerned and unchanging.

We finally seemed to get where we were going, which meant the coach began to slow because of Garam's upraised arm. The road we'd been traveling had leveled out some time back, and now there was a crossroads just ahead. On the near side of the crossroads to the left was what looked like a small house, and a being of some sort sat leaning partially out of the window. The being said something I couldn't hear, and Fearin held up a hand that seemed to be telling the being to wait. At that moment Garam rode up to me, looking the least bit anxious.

"Fearin needs you, girl," the fighter said as softly as he ever spoke. "He told me that sometimes these ... things speak in our own language but a lot of the time they pretend they don't understand a word of it. If that happened I was to come and get you, because now you're the only chance we have."

Because of all the different languages I'd learned from the Inadni. There was no guarantee thelanguage being spoken here was one of them, but Fearin hadn't thought it necessary to ask me about it beforehand. I felt like snarling out my opinion of the man's intelligence, but instead just nodded curtly before letting my horse move forward. Words could be exchanged with Fearin later - a.s.suming we all lived through whatever came next.

Garam and Ijarin followed along behind me, but the closer I got to the small house the less aware of others I became. The being in the window was man-shaped in a general way, but most of the details about him were grotesque. His face was lumpy, his mouth showed fang-like teeth, his ears were filled with hair, and his body was uneven and bent. Too-light eyes watched my approach with interest, and then I saw a bit more of those sharp and jagged teeth.

"Well, now, this is more like it," the being said as he looked me over carefully, the language he spoke one of the lost Khotian dialects. "What a shame you won't understand me either, sweetheart. I know you'll be delicious, but I would have preferred to appreciate you in another way entirely."

"Be glad you aren't in a position to try either way," I told him coldly in the same language, getting a good deal of satisfaction from his immediate startlement. "We're not here to be appreciated but to offer your king something he wants. Are you able to arrange a meeting with him, or do we have to play another game first?"

"Where did you learn that language?" the being demanded, this time speaking Rhovari. "I have it on good authority that no one speaks it beyond our borders!"

"No one does," I agreed, also switching to Rhovari. "And the same goes for this tongue. It must be your imagination that you're hearing me speak them. Are you going to arrange that meeting, or does our High Master get to see just how good his talent is?"

"All right, all right, don't be so impatient," the being grumbled after glancing at Fearin. "The man fairly reeks of the Power, not to mention the fact that you were able to start the d.i.c.ker. I'll get word to the king and he won't keep you waiting long."

"What did he say?" Fearin asked when the being leaned back from the window and began to speak to someone out of sight. "Tell me what's happening."

"He's sending for his king because I was able to start the 'd.i.c.ker,'" I responded without turning to look at the man. "How lucky for everyone here that I was able to understand him."

"Luck had nothing to do with it, so don't you dare try to scold me," Fearin came back, sounding almost as annoyed as I usually felt. "I mentioned the point when it came up, and was a.s.sured that these people spoke no language you didn't know - even if you usually turned deaf to this language. Since the last of the comment was so true, I had no trouble believing the first of it."

He seemed about to add something else, but then swallowed down the words. He must have realized that this wasn't the time or place, but I'd realized something as well. What he'd said about me turning deaf to the language he and I used... He'd been told that by Diin-tha, and the comment was too inflammatory to be innocent. What in the name of all creation could the G.o.d be up to?

"All right, now that word has been sent, our king will be here in just a short while," the being in the window said with another toothy smile as he turned back to us. "The wait won't be long, but you'll find it easier to endure with refreshments in hand. I've already sent for those as well, so - ".

"Is that your idea of behaving in an honorable way?" I demanded, taking a small part of my ...

displeasure with Diin-tha out on the being. "Telling people they've followed your rules and then offering them something you know they can't accept and remain safe? Do you also wait until they're sound asleep before sneaking up in attack?"

It was very difficult to tell in that light, but the being's too-pale complexion seemed to darken a bit while its gaze no longer met mine. There was also the sound of shuffling behind it, as though others moved about in discomfort.

"You don't understand," the being said after a tick, something of the same discomfort in its tone. "If someone is foolish enough to do something stupid, there's no reason we can't takeadvantage of it. This is our valley, after all, and you weren't invited to come here. Since you came anyway, you deserve whatever happens to you."

"What a poor excuse of a code to live by," I said coldly, ignoring the self-justification the being had tried to put forward. "If people come to do you harm you have every right to do the same to them. But to do it first, before finding out their motives for certain? You aren't being protective of your valley, you're hiding from the world. And doing yourselves out of whatever pleasure honest trade would bring you. I'd be disgusted if I didn't feel so sorry for you."

For the second time the being wasn't looking directly at me, but this time it didn't seem to have anything to say. That, however, didn't mean there was silence.

"Would you mind translating what's being said to you?" Fearin put in, his tone now faintly impatient. "Just to keep me from feeling entirely useless, you understand. And when they get around to offering us food or drink, let me know at once. I know the way to refuse diplomatically."

"They've already offered and I've already refused," I told the man, still not looking at him.

"Since they aren't insisting, I'd say my response was diplomatic enough to do the job."

"I just realized I know something," Ranander offered before Fearin could add to what he'd said. Ranander had been riding with the forward coach guardsmen, but now had moved up to join the rest of us. "I know why these people keep changing languages."

"And why is that?" Garam finally asked when Fearin didn't. "I could tell they s.h.i.+fted from one to another at the beginning there, but I couldn't understand a word of any of it."

"The s.h.i.+fting isn't their choice," Ranander replied, sounding sad. "I asked myself why they would choose to speak in a way that no one else understood, and that's when I knew the choice wasn't theirs. They're forced to go through a ... cycle of languages, I guess you would call it, and what they speak depends on what part of the cycle they're up to."

"So it isn't completely a game, but they decided to make it into one," Ijarin said with a nod of understanding. "It was probably done by whoever or whatever made this valley be the way it is, but I wonder why it was done. Did these people earn being treated like this, or are they victims?"

"Definitely victims," Ranander said, his tone now positive. "Someone probably didn't like the way they looked, so they were hidden away here. And forced to stay because of that cycle thing."

"They should have looked for a way around the restriction," Ijarin said with a headshake.

"Getting even with whoever came by probably made them feel better to begin with, but then they should have realized they were only hurting themselves more. Not to mention the fact that they were only getting even with innocents, not the one who did this to them. I wonder if it's too late to point that out?"

I had the feeling that Ijarin's question was meant for me, but since it wasn't put directly I made no attempt to answer. I'd noticed the way Fearin sat his horse apart from the rest of us, a hidden tension in the supposedly relaxed posture he'd adopted. The High Master was usually in the middle of everything, handing out orders - and bothering me. Rather than feeling relief at his absence I felt suspicious, even though I didn't know precisely why...

The conversation lagged after that, but the being hadn't lied when it had said we would not have long to wait. In an unexpectedly short amount of time we heard the sound of hoofbeats, and a group of riders appeared out of the gloom. Their king had undoubtedly been told about our presence since the moment we'd entered the valley, so I decided his speedy arrival really wasn't much of a surprise. He probably wanted to be on hand no matter whether we lived or died.

Well, it looked like the time had come for one or the other thing to happen...

Chapter 19

King Sallain of the Valley of Twilight came well attended to meet us. There were at least fifty riders with him, and as they got closer it was possible to see through the almost-night dimness that most of them were dressed as guardsmen. Rings of steel protected their boiled leather just as it did for our own guardsmen, and even the king wore the same. This was not your average, stay-at-home king, then...

"There's something wrong with the way he looks, but I can't put my finger on what," Ijarin murmured from beside me, his stare caught by the approaching monarch. "Maybe it's this less-than-light distorting his features... "

I didn't say so out loud, but it wasn't the light that was distorting King Sallain's face. At first glance he looked like any other man, but a second, longer inspection showed that every part of his face was ... skewed just a little. At one time his dark hair and brown eyes might have been part of a very handsome, tall, and broad-shouldered man, but now it was more than a little disquieting to look at him. All but five of his followers stopped a short distance away while the king led those five closer to us.

"Welcome to the Valley of Twilight," he said in a deep voice in our language as he stopped his horse just a few feet away. "Not many of our visitors actually ask to see me, and I must say I'm terribly flattered. Are you pleased now that your request has been granted?"

Sallain hadn't missed the fact that our guardsmen - and Garam and well - weren't able to look directly at him, and the bitterness in his voice sounded more than tired. I could hear a hint of the emotion that often causes people to cry with the pain they feel, hopeless sobs wracking their bodies. I would have bet gold that Sallain was no stranger to that kind of crying, and the fury that sometimes came after it as well. Ijarin was clearly forcing himself to look at the man, and so was Fearin. But Fearin was doing a better job of it, so I moved my horse beside his to confirm an idea that had just come to me.

"Your Majesty, thank you for meeting with us," Fearin said with something of a bow from his saddle. "I have a very intrusive request, but I'm prepared to offer my thanks in advance. I have a gift that will hopefully please you."

"The only gift that would really please me is beyond mortal man to offer," Sallain replied, then his gaze moved to me. "Haven't you looked your fill yet, girl? Or are you having trouble tearing your gaze away from the most horrible sight you've ever had the misfortune to come across?"

"Hardly the most horrible sight I've ever come across," I answered with a faint sound of ridicule. "And speaking about sights, haven't you ever been told that you're the one causing most of that distortion? If you adjust your thoughts in the proper way you'll probably look whatever way you used to."

"That's absurd," Sallain growled, gesturing a dismissal of what I'd said. "Do you really think I would look like this if it were my choice? I was also told in so many words that no mortal man would ever be able to help me rid myself of - of what's doing this. Do you expect lying to help your cause?"

"I don't have a cause, and what I expected to find was some small amount of intelligence," I countered, more than annoyed by his att.i.tude. "I know what you're doing because I was taught to do the same thing myself, and since you've obviously missed the point let me underscore it: I'm not any kind of man, mortal or otherwise. Or didn't that interpretation of what you were told ever occur to you?"

He opened his mouth to argue what I'd said, paused as he stared at me, then shook his head.

"It can't be that simple, it just can't be," he muttered, still staring at me. "But it would be just like her to... " Then he pulled himself together and sat straighter on his horse. "I apologize forthe boorishness of my previous speech, dear lady," he said, and rather than sounding smarmy he sounded wearily sincere. "I've lived with this ... punishment for a very long time, and I like to think I've learned my lesson - under most circ.u.mstances. And when the rage isn't on me.

Any advice you can give will be most gratefully accepted."

I moved my horse to the left of his, and as I faced him I murmured the words he had to memorize. One of the Inadni had called the words a mantra, but it was the words themselves that were important rather than what they were called. Even I didn't know what language the words came from, but they weren't that difficult to memorize. Once Sallain had them down with the right p.r.o.nunciation I added the final instructions.

"First picture yourself the way you want to look, then p.r.o.nounce the words in your mind," I said. "After you've practiced for a time, the effort will come without ... effort. But keep practicing, or the words could slip away from you."

"If this works I'll never let it slip away," Sallain vowed, painful and fearful hope in his eyes.

"I've got to try it, to find out for certain... "

And as I backed my horse to return to the place beside Fearin, Sallain made the effort to do as he'd been taught. It took quite a few ticks, but suddenly the distortion disappeared and his features cleared. He wasn't able to tell by himself, of course, but the exclamations coming from all around forced his eyes open.

"Is it done?" he demanded, looking all around. "Have I actually - Does anyone have a mirror?"

Most people don't travel with mirrors, of course, but one of our guardsmen dug into one of the bags on the back of the coach and came up with a jeweled and gilded hand mirror. The man must have been one of those who'd packed up after the twin girls, and that's why he knew what was where. He brought the mirror to Sallain, who seemed to be bracing himself before taking the thing and looking into it.

"It is done," Sallain breathed, staring at himself in a way that became pure delight. "I'm not a monster any longer! This is incredible!"

He seemed to be ready to add even more delighted comments, but then he sobered and lowered the mirror.

"There aren't any words of thanks adequate for this gift, but I'm afraid it won't do," he said to Fearin, and his sadness looked real. "I'm required to demand a material gift for any ...

intrusive favors I grant, and the gift has to be for someone other than myself. I didn't make that rule so, much as I'd like to, I can't break it."

"For a moment I had hope, but I wasn't counting on it," Fearin responded with a sigh. "The gift I have is material, and it isn't for you but for your sons. Does that qualify?"

"It would if it were something my sons could share equally," Sallain answered, his expression having turned wry. "Dorin and Korin don't like to take turns using something, and they tend to covet each other's possessions. If your gift will set them at each other's throats, I'd really rather not have it offered."

By then two of the men behind Sallain moved their horses up to bracket him, and the grins they showed were identical. There was no distortion in their faces and they looked very much like their handsome father, but they looked like each other even more. The two young men were twins, and that suddenly told me what gift Fearin was offering.

"Oh, you can't be serious," I protested to Fearin, turning my head to look at the High Master.

"Even if these people were slavering monsters the offer would be cruel and unfair."

"Kiri's comment refers to the ... nature of my gift," Fearin admitted reluctantly to Sallain's questioning look, his glance at me more of a glare. "You could say that a certain amount of ...

tolerance will be necessary if you accept what I offer, but aside from that... Suppose I show you what I mean."

Fearin turned and gestured to the guardsmen around the coach, and one of them went to the coach door and opened it. When an offered hand produced no results, the guardsman reachedin and pulled out one of the girls, then half climbed into the coach to get the other. Their squawking outrage was more than just loud; I had the distinct impression that some of the silent shadows that had been sliding through the dimness between the trees of the forest actually flinched before disappearing.

"Silence!" Fearin shouted at the highly indignant pair, using lung power to get the quiet he wanted before he turned back to Sallain. "King Sallain, allow me to present the princesses Liara and Piada, known familiarly to each other as Lia and Pia. They have no true place in the outer world as even their father would prefer that they weren't returned to his court. If, however, your sons the princes approve... "

Fearin let his words trail off as Dorin and Korin rode over to the girls and dismounted, their grins even wider now. The girls put their noses in the air and pretended that the two men weren't there, which brought the male twins to chuckling.

"It looks like you've actually found the ideal gift," Sallain said as he watched his sons, his own amus.e.m.e.nt clear. "Perfectly matched princesses, something I would have sworn wasn't possible. Exactly what favor were you after for this gift?"

"I need to bring my army through your valley," Fearin answered without hesitation. "Marching them through should take less than a day, and then we'll be out of your hair. You also have my word that none of them will try to interfere with your people in any way. If one or two of them should happen to try, their disposition will be yours."

"With that qualification, your request isn't unreasonable," Sallain said, relief now mixed into his amus.e.m.e.nt. "I'm delighted to be able to accept your gift and grant your favor, but you'd do well to warn the men of your army. If the disposition of any of them falls to me, they'll certainly wish they'd never been born."

"I'm certain they already know that, but I'll stress the point before we begin the march,"

Fearin promised, his own pleasure a bit less than Sallain's. "If you'll excuse me now I'll get them moving, and then I'll be back to visit while they move through your domain."

Fearin gestured to Garam, who in turn gestured to his special squad, and in no time they were all moving back the way we'd come. That left Ranander, Ijarin, and me, and the two men moved their horses over to mine.